Connection using conductive vias

ABSTRACT

In one embodiment, a meta-module having circuitry for two or more modules is formed on a substrate, which is preferably a laminated substrate. The circuitry for the different modules is initially formed on the single meta-module. Each module will have one or more component areas in which the circuitry is formed. A metallic structure is formed on or in the substrate for each component area to be shielded. A single body, such as an overmold body, is then formed over all of the modules on the meta-module. At least a conductive vertical interconnect access structure (vias) associated with each component area to be shielded is then exposed through the body by a cutting, drilling, or similar operation. Next, an electromagnetic shield material is applied to the exterior surface of the body of each of the component areas to be shielded and in contact with the exposed conductive vias.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims priority to and is a divisional application ofU.S. patent application Ser. No. 14/447,847, filed Jul. 31, 2014 andentitled “CONNECTION USING CONDUCTIVE VIAS,” which is herebyincorporated by reference in its entirety.

The '847 application is a divisional application of U.S. patentapplication Ser. No. 13/034,787, filed Feb. 25, 2011, now U.S. Pat. No.8,835,226, which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety.

The '787 application is related to U.S. patent application Ser. No.12/030,711, entitled “INTERLEAVED INTERDIGITATED TRANSDUCERS,” filedFeb. 13, 2008, now U.S. Pat. No. 8,069,542; U.S. patent application Ser.No. 11/199,319, entitled “METHOD OF MAKING A CONFORMAL ELECTROMAGNETICINTERFERENCE SHIELD,” filed Aug. 8, 2005, now U.S. Pat. No. 7,451,539;U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/435,913, entitled “SUB-MODULECONFORMAL ELECTROMAGNETIC INTERFERENCE SHIELD,” filed May 17, 2006, nowU.S. Pat. No. 8,062,930; U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/768,014,entitled “INTEGRATED SHIELD FOR A NO-LEAD SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICE PACKAGE,”filed Jun. 25, 2007, now U.S. Pat. No. 8,053,872; U.S. patentapplication Ser. No. 11/952,513, entitled “ISOLATED CONFORMALSHIELDING,” filed Dec. 7, 2007, now U.S. Pat. No. 8,220,145; U.S. patentapplication Ser. No. 11/952,592, entitled “CONFORMAL SHIELDING PROCESSUSING FLUSH STRUCTURES,” filed Dec. 7, 2007, now U.S. Pat. No.8,409,658; U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/952,617, entitled “HEATSINK FORMED WITH CONFORMAL SHIELD,” filed Dec. 7, 2007, now U.S. Pat.No. 8,434,220; U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/952,634, entitled“CONFORMAL SHIELDING PROCESS USING PROCESS GASES,” filed Dec. 7, 2007,now U.S. Pat. No. 8,186,048; U.S. patent application Ser. No.11/952,670, entitled “PROCESS FOR MANUFACTURING A MODULE,” filed Dec. 7,2007, now U.S. Pat. No. 8,359,739; U.S. patent application Ser. No.11/952,690, entitled “METHOD OF MANUFACTURING A MODULE,” filed Dec. 7,2007, now U.S. Pat. No. 8,061,012; U.S. patent application Ser. No.12/797,381, entitled “TRANSCEIVER WITH SHIELD,” filed Jun. 9, 2010; U.S.patent application Ser. No. 12/913,364, entitled “METHOD FOR FORMING ANELECTRONIC MODULE HAVING BACKSIDE SEAL,” filed Oct. 27, 2010, now U.S.Pat. No. 8,296,938; U.S. patent application Ser. No. 13/034,755,entitled “ELECTRONIC MODULES HAVING GROUNDED ELECTROMAGNETIC SHIELDS,”filed Feb. 25, 2011; U.S. patent application Ser. No. 13/034,787,entitled “CONNECTION USING CONDUCTIVE VIAS,” filed Feb. 25, 2011; U.S.patent application Ser. No. 13/036,272, entitled “MICROSHIELD ONSTANDARD QFN PACKAGE,” filed Feb. 28, 2011; U.S. patent application Ser.No. 13/117,284, entitled “CONFORMAL SHIELDING EMPLOYING SEGMENTBUILDUP,” filed May 27, 2011, now U.S. Pat. No. 8,296,941; U.S. patentapplication Ser. No. 13/151,499, entitled “CONFORMAL SHIELDING PROCESSUSING PROCESS GASES,” filed Jun. 2, 2011, now U.S. Pat. No. 8,720,051;U.S. patent application Ser. No. 13/187,814, entitled “INTEGRATED SHIELDFOR A NO-LEAD SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICE PACKAGE,” filed Jul. 21, 2011, nowU.S. Pat. No. 8,349,659; U.S. patent application Ser. No. 13/189,838,entitled “COMPARTMENTALIZED SHIELDING OF SELECTED COMPONENTS,” filedJul. 25, 2011; U.S. patent application Ser. No. 13/906,692, entitled“IMAGE FORMING DEVICE HAVING DETACHABLE DEVELOPING DEVICE UNIT,” filedMay 31, 2013, now U.S. Pat. No. 8,744,308; and U.S. patent applicationSer. No. 13/415,643, entitled “FIELD BARRIER STRUCTURES WITHIN ACONFORMAL SHIELD,” filed Mar. 8, 2012, now U.S. Pat. No. 8,614,899; allof which are commonly owned and assigned, at the time of the invention,and are hereby incorporated herein by reference in their entireties.When interpreting the language of this disclosure, any inconsistenciesbetween this disclosure and the above-identified related applicationsare to be resolved in favor of the interpretations demanded by thisdisclosure.

FIELD OF THE DISCLOSURE

The present disclosure relates to electronic modules havingelectromagnetic shields and methods of manufacturing the same.

BACKGROUND

Electronic components have become ubiquitous in modern society. Theelectronics industry routinely announces accelerated clocking speeds,higher transmission frequencies, and smaller integrated circuit modules.While the benefits of these devices are myriad, smaller electroniccomponents that operate at higher frequencies also create problems.Higher operating frequencies mean shorter wavelengths, where shorterconductive elements within electronic circuitry may act as antennas tounintentionally broadcast electromagnetic emissions throughout theelectromagnetic spectrum. If the signal strengths of the emissions arehigh enough, the emissions may interfere with the operation of anelectronic component subjected to the emissions. Further, the FederalCommunications Commission (FCC) and other regulatory agencies regulatethese emissions, and as such, these emissions must be kept withinregulatory requirements.

One way to reduce emissions is to form a shield around the modules.Typically, a shield is formed from a grounded conductive structure thatcovers a module or a portion thereof. When emissions from electroniccomponents within the shield strike the interior surface of the shield,the electromagnetic emissions are electrically shorted through thegrounded conductive structure that forms the shield, thereby reducingemissions. Likewise, when external emissions from outside the shieldstrike the exterior surface of the shield, a similar electrical shortoccurs, and the electronic components in the module do not experiencethe emissions.

If the electronic components in these modules are formed on a substrate,the conductive structure that forms the shield needs to be coupled toground. However, the miniaturization of the modules makes itincreasingly difficult to couple the shields to the ground. Furthermore,shielding the inner layers within the substrate becomes more and moreimportant as miniaturization allows a greater density of these modulesto be placed within a given area. Thus, what is needed is a shieldstructure that is easily coupled to ground and which provides moreshielding of the inner layers within the substrate.

SUMMARY

The present disclosure may be used to form one or more electromagneticshields for a given electronic module so that the electromagneticshields are directly attached to one or more conductive verticalinterconnect access structures (via) and thus may be easily connected toground. In one embodiment, an electronic module is formed on a componentportion that defines a component area on a surface of the substrate. Tomore easily attach the electromagnetic shield to ground, theelectromagnetic shield may be directly attached to one or more of theconductive vias that are positioned about the periphery of the componentportion. These conductive vias may be within and/or extend from thesubstrate and may be formed as part of a metallic structure associatedwith the component portion, which is configured to form a path toground. The substrate may also have one or more vertically stackedmetallic layers that extend along a periphery of the component portionand are attached to one another by the conductive vias. Thus, themetallic structure may be formed to have the conductive vias andmetallic layers.

To form the electronic module, electronic components are provided on thecomponent area and an overmold may then be provided to cover thecomponent areas. Openings may be formed through at least the overmold toexpose one or more of the conductive vias. An electromagnetic shieldmaterial may then be formed in the opening and over the overmold byapplying an electromagnetic shield material. Since the exposedconductive vias are positioned at the periphery of the componentportion, the electromagnetic shield can easily couple to the exposedconductive vias and connect to ground. Furthermore, precise cuts are notneeded when exposing the conductive vias because the electromagneticshield may couple to any section of the exposed conductive vias.

Those skilled in the art will appreciate the scope of the presentdisclosure and realize additional aspects thereof after reading thefollowing detailed description of the preferred embodiments inassociation with the accompanying drawing figures.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING FIGURES

The accompanying drawing figures incorporated in and forming a part ofthis specification illustrate several aspects of the disclosure, andtogether with the description serve to explain the principles of thedisclosure.

FIG. 1 illustrates one embodiment of an electronic module.

FIGS. 1A-1E illustrates steps for forming the electronic module of FIG.1.

FIGS. 2A-2B illustrates steps for forming another embodiment of anelectronic module.

FIGS. 3A-3B illustrates steps for forming yet another embodiment of anelectronic module.

FIG. 4 is a top down view of one embodiment of a metallic layer thatextends along a perimeter of a component area on a surface of asubstrate.

FIG. 5 illustrates one embodiment of an electronic meta-module.

FIG. 6 illustrates one embodiment of an electronic module singulatedfrom the electronic meta-module in FIG. 5.

FIGS. 7A-7L illustrates steps for forming the electronic meta-module ofFIG. 5.

FIGS. 8A-8L illustrates steps for forming another embodiment of anelectronic meta-module.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The embodiments set forth below represent the necessary information toenable those skilled in the art to practice the embodiments andillustrate the best mode of practicing the embodiments. Upon reading thefollowing description in light of the accompanying drawing figures,those skilled in the art will understand the concepts of the disclosureand will recognize applications of these concepts not particularlyaddressed herein. It should be understood that these concepts andapplications fall within the scope of the disclosure and theaccompanying claims.

The present disclosure relates to shielded electronic modules andmethods of manufacturing electromagnetic shields in electronic modules.The electromagnetic shields of the electronic module may be easilygrounded by directly attaching at least one conductive verticalinterconnect access structure (via) in a metallic structure that iseither connected to ground or may be connected to ground. FIG. 1illustrates one embodiment of an electronic module 10 that ismanufactured in accordance with this disclosure. The electronic module10 may be formed on a substrate 12. This substrate 12 may be made fromany material(s) utilized to support electronic components. For example,substrate 12 may be formed from laminates such as FR-1, FR-2, FR-3,FR-4, FR-5, FR-6, CEM-1, CEM-2, CEM-3, CEM-4, CEM-5, and the like.Substrate 12 may also be formed from ceramics, and/or alumina.

The substrate 12 has a component portion 14 that supports the componentsof the electronic module 10 and may take up the entire substrate 12 ormay take up only a particular portion of the substrate 12. For example,as explained in further detail below, the component portion 14 may beone of a plurality of component portions 14 on the substrate 12. Thecomponent portion 14 includes a component area 16 on a surface 18 of thesubstrate 12 and one or more electronic components 20 formed on thecomponent area 16. Structures that form part of or are coupled to theelectronic components 20 may be formed within the component portion 14.In addition, the component portion 14 may include conductive paths thatform internal and external connections to and from the electronic module10.

The electronic components 20 may be any type of electronic component.For example, electronic components 20 may be an electronic circuit builton its own semiconductor substrate, such as a processor, volatilememory, non-volatile memory, a radio frequency circuit, or amicro-mechanical system (MEMS) device. Electronic components 20 may alsobe electrical devices such as filters, capacitors, inductors, andresistors or electronic circuits having any combination of theseelectronic devices.

To protect the electronic components 20 from both internal and externalelectromagnetic emissions, an overmold 22 and electromagnetic shield 24are formed over the component area 16 which cover the electroniccomponents 20. The overmold 22 may be utilized to isolate the electroniccomponents 20 and may include insulating or dielectric materials thatprevent or substantially reduce both internal electromagnetictransmissions from the electronic components 20 and externalelectromagnetic transmissions generated outside of the electronic module10. To couple the electromagnetic shield 24 to a ground plate 26 belowthe substrate 12, a metallic structure 28 is provided that extendsthrough the component portion 14 and is attached to the electromagneticshield 24. The metallic structure 28 includes a plurality of metalliclayers 30, which in this embodiment are stacked over one another, and aplurality of conductive vias 38 that are between and directly attachedto the metallic layers 30. The conductive vias 38 provide an electricalconnection to one another through their attachment to the metalliclayers 30. In the alternative, the conductive vias 38 may not bedirectly attached to the metallic layers 30 and may indirectly connectto the metallic layers 30. In this case, the conductive vias 38 may beelectrically connected to the metallic layers 30 by other structureswithin the metallic structure 28. In yet another alternative embodiment,the conductive vias 38 may be directly connected to one another withoutthe use of the metallic layers 30. The metallic layers 30 extend along aperiphery 32 of the component portion 14 while the conductive vias arepositioned along the periphery 32. The periphery 32 may be defined asany boundary line, area, or volume at the boundary of the componentportion 14. As shall be explained in further detail below, the pluralityof conductive vias 38 may be provided to surround the component portion14.

Lateral portions 34 of the electromagnetic shield 24 extend downwardfrom a top portion 36 of the electromagnetic shield 24 to directlyattach the electromagnetic shield 24 to metallic structure 28. Thelateral portions 34 may be directly attached to one or more of theseconductive vias 38. In this embodiment, the electromagnetic shield 24 iscoupled to the plurality of conductive vias 38 that are positioned at aperimeter of the component area 16 and extend above the surface 18 ofthe substrate 12. However, the electromagnetic shield 24 may be directlyattached to any of the conductive vias 38 so that the electromagneticshield 24 makes electrical contact with the metallic structure 28. Sincethe conductive vias 38 are positioned at the periphery 32 of thecomponent portion 14, the conductive vias 38 make it easier toelectrically connect the electromagnetic shield 24 to the ground plate26. The conductive vias 38 may be any type of structure utilized toconnect components on different vertical levels through a substrate 12.For example, conductive vias 38 may be formed as plated through-holes,conductive pillars, conductive bars, and the like.

The metallic layers 30 and conductive vias 38 may extend along or be atthe periphery 32 (or a perimeter) by being within, adjacent to, closeto, or defining the periphery 32 of the component portion 14. In someembodiments, the metallic layers 30 extend about only a portion of theperiphery 32. However, as shall be explained in further detail below,the metallic layers 30 in this embodiment extend along the entireperiphery 32 so that each circumscribes a horizontal cross-section ofthe component portion 14. Similarly, the conductive vias 38 may be at aparticular location or section of the periphery 32 or about of theentire periphery 32.

FIGS. 1A-1E illustrates a series of steps for manufacturing theelectronic module 10 illustrated in FIG. 1. It should be noted that theorder of these steps are simply illustrative and the steps may beperformed in a different order. Furthermore, the steps are not meant tobe exhaustive and other steps and different steps may be utilized tomanufacture the electronic module 10, as shall be recognized by those ofordinary skill in the art. The same is true for steps discussedthroughout this disclosure. First, the substrate 12 is provided (FIG.1A). Substrate 12 may be formed from vertically stacked insulatingsubstrate layers 40 that make up the body of the component portion 14.The vertically stacked insulating substrate layers 40 may be formed fromone or more dielectric or insulating materials. In this embodiment, thecomponent portion 14 has been formed over the ground plate 26.

There are metallic layers 30 on the top surface 18 of the componentportion 14, between each of the vertically stacked insulating substratelayers 40, and at the bottom of the component portion 14, which is theground plate 26. The metallic layers 30 extend about the verticallystacked insulating substrate layers 40 of the component portion 14 tocircumscribe a horizontal cross-sectional area of the component portion14. For example, the top metallic layer 30 on the surface 18 of thecomponent portion 14 surrounds a perimeter of the component area 16.Substrate 12 may include additional layers above, below, and betweenvertically stacked insulating substrate layers 40 and metallic layers 30depending on the application for the electronic module 10.

The plurality of conductive vias 38 are positioned between the metalliclayers 30 and may be directly attached to the metallic layers 30 toelectrically connect them. The conductive vias 38 may be utilized toform a conductive path to the ground plate 26. In other embodiments,conductive vias 38 may be utilized to form conductive paths for internalor external connections. For example, a common ground node mayphysically displaced from the electronic module and thus conductive vias38 may be utilized to form a path to an external connection that couplesthe metallic structure 28 to the ground node.

The metallic layers 30 and conductive vias 38 also provide shielding forthe vertically stacked insulating substrate layers 40 within thecomponent portion 14 of the substrate 12. As explained above, metalliclayers 30 surround the periphery 32 of the component portion 14 therebycircumventing a horizontal cross-section of the component portion 14. Aset of the plurality of conductive vias 38 above and between each of themetallic layers 30 substantially surround the perimeter 32 to circumventthe portions of the periphery 32 between the metallic layers 30 and thecomponent area 16. These conductive vias 38 are discrete from oneanother and thus do not fully surround the perimeter 32 of the componentportion 14. Consequently, gaps between the conductive vias 38 areexposed. However, conductive vias 38 may be provided close enough to oneanother so as to present an electromagnetic barrier to electromagneticemissions. The metallic layers 30 may be made from any type of metalsuch as, for example, copper (Cu), gold (Au), silver (Ag), Nickel (Ni).The metallic material may also include metallic alloys and othermetallic materials mixed with or forming ionic or covalent bonds withother non-metallic materials to provide a desired material property.

Next, electronic components 20 may be provided on the component area 16(FIG. 1B) and the overmold 22 is provided over the surface 18 to coverthe component area 16 (FIG. 1C). In this embodiment, an opening 42 isformed through the overmold 22 to the set of conductive vias 38 thatextend above the surface 18 of the substrate 12 (FIG. 1D). A seed layer(not shown) may then be provided over the overmold 22 and conductivevias 38. An electromagnetic shield material may then be applied onto theseed layer by, for example, an electrolytic or electroless platingprocess so that the electromagnetic shield material builds on the set ofconductive vias 38 that extend above the surface 18 of the substrate 12and are within the opening 42. This forms the electromagnetic shield 24over the component area 16 and the electromagnetic shield 24 is directlyattached to the set of conductive vias 38 that extend over the surface18 of the substrate 12 to form the electronic module 10 (FIG. 1E).

FIGS. 2A and 2B illustrates steps for manufacturing another embodimentof an electronic module. In FIG. 2A, the substrate 44 and an overmold 46are provided utilizing essentially the same steps as described above inFIGS. 1A-1D. In this embodiment, a cut has been made through theovermold 46 and into the substrate 44 that has removed the top metalliclayer (not shown). Thus, the top metallic layer that once rested on asurface 48 of the substrate 44 has been cut away. Instead, the substratenow has first, second, and third metallic layers 50, 52, 54 within orbelow the substrate 44. The cut has also cut into a top insulatingsubstrate layer 55 of the substrate 44 and into a first set ofconductive vias 56. Thus, prior to making the cut, the first set ofconductive vias 56 were internally within the substrate 44. A second andthird set of conductive vias 58, 60 are also provided and remain withinthe substrate 44 after the cut, as shown in FIG. 2A. In this embodiment,the first set of conductive vias 56 are positioned above the firstmetallic layer 50 and extend above a surface 62 of the substrate 44 tosurround a component area 64 (shown in 2B) of a component portion 66 inthe substrate 44. The first set of conductive vias 56 have a first end68 attached to the first metallic layer 50 within the substrate 44 and asecond end 70 that extends above the surface 62 of the substrate 44.

As shown in FIG. 2A, an opening 72 is formed by the cut along aperiphery of the component portion 66 through the overmold 46 and intothe first set of conductive vias 56 to expose sections 74 on the secondends 70 of the first set of conductive vias 56. However, the cut mayalso be formed to expose any section of any of the first, second, orthird set of conductive vias 56, 58, 60. In this embodiment, the opening72 actually penetrates into the conductive vias 56. An electromagneticshield material may then be applied over the overmold 46 and thesections 74 within the opening 72 to form the electromagnetic shield 76(FIG. 2B) which is directly attached to the sections 74 of the first setof conductive vias 56.

The first, second, or third set of conductive vias 56, 58, 60 may be anytype of structure utilized to connect components on different verticallevels through the substrate 44. For example, first, second, or thirdset of conductive vias 56, 58, 60 may be formed as plated through-holes,conductive pillars, conductive bars, and the like. In addition, first,second, or third set of conductive vias 56, 58, 60 may be attached tothe first, second, and/or third metallic layers 50, 52, 54 by beingseparate or distinct pieces that have been connected to one another orby being integrated and unsegregated pieces.

It should be noted a grinding process may be utilized to make a cut thatexposes any section of any of the first, second, or third set ofconductive vias 56, 58, 60. Since any section of any of the first,second, or third set of conductive vias 56, 58, 60 can be utilized tocouple to the electromagnetic shield 76, the accuracy required in makingthe cuts and create the opening 72 is reduced.

For example, FIG. 3A and FIG. 3B illustrate steps for manufacturing yetanother embodiment of an electronic module. In this embodiment, asubstrate 80, shown in FIG. 3A, has a substrate body 82 that defines acomponent portion 83. The substrate 80 has a stack of a first, second,third, and fourth metallic layers 84, 86, 88, 90 that extend along aperiphery 91 (shown in FIG. 3B) of the component portion 83. In thisexample, the first, second, third, and fourth metallic layers 84, 86,88, 90 extend about the entire periphery 91 of the component portion 83to surround the component portion 83. In alternative embodiments, thefirst, second, third, and fourth metallic layers 84, 86, 88, 90, mayonly extend along a portion of the periphery 91. Attached to and betweenthe first, second, third, and fourth metallic layers 84, 86, 88, 90 arethe first, second, and third sets of conductive vias 92, 94, 96.

As shown in FIG. 3A, an opening 98 has been formed into the substratebody 82, through the first metallic layer 84, and into the first set ofconductive vias 92. The cut that forms the opening 98 forms sections 100of the first set of conductive vias 92 which are now exposed by theopening 98. The sections 100 and the first set of conductive vias 92 arepositioned below a component area 102 on a surface 104 of the substratebody 82. As in the previous embodiment, an overmold 106 was providedover the surface 104 to cover the component area 102 and thus, theopening 98 was also formed by cutting through the overmold 106. Sinceany section 100 of the first set of component vias 92 may be exposed toconnect an electromagnetic shield to ground, the sections 100 may beformed anywhere on the surface or within the first set of conductivevias 92. Consequently, less accuracy is required in making cuts whencreating the opening 98.

Next, a seed layer (not shown) may be provided on the overmold 106 andwithin the opening 98. An electromagnetic shield material is applied tothis seed layer to form the electromagnetic shield 108, as illustratedin FIG. 3B to form the electronic module 110. In this embodiment of theelectronic module 110, the electromagnetic shield 108 is directlyattached to the sections 100 of the first set of conductive vias 92 andalso to the remaining parts of the first metallic layer 84.Consequently, lateral portions 112 of the electromagnetic shield 108 areformed to shield part of the substrate body 82 in the component portion83 and thus providing shielding to internal portions of the substrate80. However, the opening 98 (illustrated in FIG. 3A) may be formed toexpose any section of any of the first, second, and third sets ofconductive vias 92, 94, 96. In this manner, the depth of the lateralportions 112 can be controlled so that the electromagnetic shield 108shields any desired part of the periphery 91 of the component portion83.

FIG. 4 is a top down view of a metallic layer 116 that extends along aperimeter 118 of a component area 120 on a surface 122 of a substrate124. Illustrated on the metallic layer 116 are projections 126, 128 ofconductive vias attached below the metallic layer 116. In thisparticular embodiment, the conductive vias are solid metal bars and theprojection 126 is of a circular shaped conductive metal bar andprojection 128 is of a slot shaped conductive metal bar. These shapesare advantageous because they provide a large solid volume for cutsthereby decreasing the accuracy required in making cuts so that anelectromagnetic shield appropriately connects to ground. Theseconductive vias may be made from any type of conductive material such asmetals like, for example, copper (Cu), gold (Au), silver (Ag), Nickel(Ni). The conductive material may also include metallic alloys and otherconductive materials mixed with or forming ionic or covalent bonds withother non-conductive materials to provide a desired material property.

Referring now to FIG. 5, one embodiment of an electronic meta-module 130having a plurality of shielded electronic modules 132 is shown. In thisexample, the plurality of shielded electronic modules 132 is arranged asan array 133 of shielded electronic modules 132. The array 133 may be ofany shape, however, in this example, the array 133 is a rectangulararray that arranges the plurality of shielded electronic modules 132 inrows and columns. As shown in FIG. 6, these shielded electronic modules132 may be singulated from the electronic meta-module 130 to provideindividual shielded electronic modules 132.

FIGS. 7A-7L illustrates a series of steps for manufacturing theelectronic meta-module 130. To create the substrate for the electronicmeta-module 130, a carrier metallic layer 134 is first provided (FIG.7A) and a first metallic sheet 136 is formed on the carrier metalliclayer 134 (FIG. 7B). Photolithography may be utilized to form themetallic sheet 136 into a first metallic layer 138 of a plurality ofmetallic structures 140 (FIG. 7C). Photolithography may also be utilizedto form circuitry (not shown). This circuitry may form part of the firstmetallic layers 138, be within the first metallic layers 138, couple thefirst metallic layers 138, and/or form structures that are not part ofthe first metallic layers 138. The first metallic layers 138 of theillustrated embodiment are separated from one another because theplurality of metallic structures 140 are to be built as separatedstructures. Also, each of these first metallic layers 138 surrounds anddefines an aperture 142 which may include the circuitry discussed above(not shown). In other embodiments, the first metallic layers 138 maysimply be a metallic strip and thus would not define the aperture 142.

A first set of conductive vias 144 may then be formed on each of thefirst metallic layers 138 of the plurality of metallic structures 140(FIG. 7D). In this embodiment, the first set of conductive vias 144 isprovided around each of the first metallic layers 138. A firstinsulating substrate layer 146 may then be provided over the firstmetallic layers 138 and the first set of conductive vias 144 (FIG. 7E).For example, the first insulating substrate layer 146 may be formed froma dielectric material that is laminated over the first metallic layers138 and the first set of conductive vias 144. When the first insulatingsubstrate layer 146 is initially provided over the first metallic layers138 and the first set of conductive vias 144, the first set ofconductive vias 144 may extend above the first insulating substratelayer 146. In this embodiment, the first set of conductive vias 144 maybe grinded so that the first set of conductive vias 144 is flush withthe first insulating substrate layer 146. The first insulating substratelayer 146 forms a part of the substrate body 148 of the substrate.

The first set of conductive vias 144 of the illustrated embodiment isformed on the first metallic layers 138 prior to providing the firstinsulating substrate layer 146. In the alternative, the first insulatingsubstrate layer 146 may be provided prior to forming the first set ofconductive vias 144. Afterwards, holes may be etched into the firstinsulating substrate layer 146 and a conductive material plated intothese holes to form the first set of conductive vias 144.

When the first insulating substrate layer 146 is provided, each of theapertures 142 (shown in FIG. 7C) enclosed by the first metallic layers138 are filled with substrate material and each of the first metalliclayers 138 surrounds an area 143 that forms part of a component portionof the substrate body 148. Thus, in the illustrated embodiment, thefirst metallic layer 138 circumscribes the area 143 (FIG. 7E) anddefines a section of the periphery of the component portion. Next, thecarrier metallic layer 134 may be removed and the process described inFIGS. 7A-7E may be repeated to form the desired number of insulatingsubstrate layers 146, 150, 152 (FIG. 7F) in the substrate body 148 ofthe substrate 154, metallic layers 138, 156, 158, 160, and sets ofconductive vias 144, 162, 164, in the metallic structures 148 for eachcomponent portion 163. The substrate 154 has a plurality of componentportions 163 which each have a second, third, and fourth metallic layers156, 158, 160 formed over the first metallic layer 138; and a first,second, and third set of conductive vias 144, 162, 164, attached betweenthe first, second, third, and fourth metallic layers 138, 156, 158, 160.Similarly, the second and third insulating substrate layers 150, 152 areformed over the first insulating substrate layer 146. It should be notedhowever that the substrate 154 does not necessarily have to be formedfrom the bottom up. The substrate 154 could be provided from the topdown where first metallic layer 138 and the first insulating substratelayer 146 are the top layers. In addition, the substrate 154 may bebuilt from the middle outwards where the first metallic layer 138 andthe first insulating substrate layer 146 are one of the middle layers ofthe substrate body 148. The second, third, and fourth metallic layers156, 158, 160, the second and third insulating substrate layers 150,152, and the second and third set of conductive vias 162, 164 would beformed on either side of the first metallic layer 138 to form thesubstrate 154.

In this embodiment, as illustrated in FIG. 7G, each component portion163 includes a component area 162 on a surface 164 of the substrate body148. One or more electronic components 165 may be formed on eachcomponent area 162 and then an overmold 166 provided over the surface164 to cover the component areas 162 (FIG. 7H). Channels 168 provideopenings along a periphery 169 of each of the component portions 163(FIG. 7I).

FIG. 7J illustrate a cross sectional view between two component portions163 after the channels 168 have been formed through the overmold 166 andthe fourth metallic layers 160 to expose a section 170 of the third setof conductive vias 164. However, these channels 168 may extend throughthe overmold 166 and the substrate body 148 to expose any desired set ofconductive vias 144, 162, 164 of the metallic structures 140. In thisembodiment, sections 170 of the third set of conductive vias 164 areexposed by the channel 168. An electromagnetic shield material isapplied over the overmold 166 and within the channel 168 to formelectromagnetic shields 171 over the component areas 162 (FIG. 7K).Sections 170 of the third set of conductive vias 164 directly attach tothe electromagnetic shields 171 so that the electromagnetic shields 171are electrically connected to the metallic structures 140. The componentportions 163 may be then be singulated from one another to formindividual shielded electronic modules 132 (FIG. 7L).

FIGS. 8A-8L illustrates a series of steps for manufacturing anotherembodiment of an electronic meta-module. To create the substrate for theelectronic meta-module, a carrier metallic layer 172 is first provided(FIG. 8A) and a first metallic sheet 174 is formed on the carriermetallic layer 172 (FIG. 8B). Photo lithography may be utilized to formthe metallic sheet 174 into a first metallic layer 176 of a plurality ofmetallic structures 178 (FIG. 8C). Photo lithography may also beutilized to form circuitry (not shown). This circuitry may form part ofthe first metallic layers 176, be within the first metallic layers 176,couple the first metallic layers 176, and/or form structures that arenot part of the first metallic layers 176. The first metallic layers 176in this embodiment are integrated with one another because the pluralityof metallic structures 178 are built as part of an integratedmeta-metallic structure 180. Each of these first metallic layers 176surrounds and defines an aperture 182 which may include the circuitrydiscussed above (not shown). In other embodiments, the first metalliclayers 176 may simply be a metallic strip and thus would not define theaperture 182.

As shown in FIG. 8D, a first set of conductive vias 184 may then beformed on each of the first metallic layers 176 in the plurality ofmetallic structures 178. In this embodiment, the first sets ofconductive vias 184 are provided around each of the first metalliclayers 176. A first insulating substrate layer 186 may then be providedover the first metallic layers 176 and the first sets of conductive vias184 (FIG. 8E). For example, the first insulating substrate layer 186 maybe formed from a dielectric material that is laminated over the firstmetallic layers 176 and the first set of conductive vias 184. When thefirst insulating substrate layer 186 is initially provided over thefirst metallic layers 176 and the first set of conductive vias 184, thefirst set of conductive vias 184 may extend above the first insulatingsubstrate layer 186. In this embodiment, the first set of conductivevias 184 may be grinded so that the first set of conductive vias 184 isflush with the first insulating substrate layer 186. The firstinsulating substrate layer 186 forms a part of the substrate body 188 ofthe substrate. The first sets of conductive vias 184 of the illustratedembodiment are formed on the first metallic layers 176 prior toproviding the first insulating substrate layer 186. In the alternative,the first insulating substrate layer 186 may be provided prior toforming the first set of conductive vias 184. Afterwards, holes may beetched into the first insulating substrate layer 186 and a conductivematerial plated into these holes to form the first set of conductivevias 184.

When the first insulating substrate layer 186 is provided, each of theapertures 182 (shown in FIG. 8C) enclosed by the first metallic layers176 are filled with substrate material and each of the first metalliclayers 176 surrounds an area 190 (FIG. 8E) that forms part of acomponent portion of the substrate body 188. Thus, in the illustratedembodiment, the first metallic layer 176 circumscribes the area 190 anddefines a section of the periphery of one of the component portions. Thecarrier metallic layer 172 may be removed and the process described inFIGS. 8A-8E may be repeated to form the desired number of insulatingsubstrate layers 186, 192, 193 in the substrate body 188 of thesubstrate 195; metallic layers 176, 194, 196, 200 in each of themetallic structures 178; and sets of conductive vias 184, 202, 204, inthe metallic structures 178 (FIG. 8F). The substrate 195 is depicted ashaving second, third, and fourth metallic layers 194, 196, 200 formedover of the first metallic layer 176. First, second, and third sets ofconductive vias 184, 202, 204, are attached between the first, second,third, and fourth metallic layers 176, 194, 196, 200. Similarly, thesecond and third insulating substrate layers 192, 193 are formed overthe first insulating substrate layer 186. As in the previous embodiment,the substrate 195 does not necessarily have to be formed from the bottomup. The substrate 195 could be provided from the top down, where thefirst metallic layer 176 and the first insulating substrate layer 186are the top layers. In addition, substrate 195 may be built from themiddle outwards where the first metallic layer 176 and the firstinsulating substrate layer 186 are one of the middle layers of thesubstrate body 188. The second, third, and fourth metallic layers 194,196, 200; the second and third insulating substrate layers 192, 193; andthe second and third set of conductive vias 202, 204 would be formed oneither side of the first metallic layer 176 and first insulatingsubstrate layer 186 to form the substrate 195.

The substrate 195 has a plurality of component portions 205 (FIG. 8F)each having a metallic structure 178 within the substrate body 188. Inthis embodiment, each component portion 205 is also formed to have acomponent area 206 on a surface 208 of the substrate body 188. Next, oneor more electronic components 210 may be attached to each component area206 (FIG. 8G) and then an overmold 212 provided over the surface 208 tocover the component areas 206 (FIG. 8H). Cuts are made into the overmold212 and channels 214 form openings through the overmold 212 andsubstrate body 188 along a periphery 216 of each of the componentportions 205 (FIG. 8I).

FIG. 8J illustrates a cross sectional view between two componentportions 205 after the channels 214 have been formed through theovermold 212; the second, third, fourth metallic layers 194, 196, 200;and the first, second, third set of conductive vias 184, 202, 204 toexpose a section 211 of the first set of conductive vias 184. However,these channels 214 may extend through the overmold 206 and the substratebody 188 to expose any desired set of conductive vias 184, 202, 204 ofthe metallic structures 178. In this embodiment, sections 211 of thethird set of conductive vias 204 are exposed by the channel 214. Anelectromagnetic shield material is applied over the overmold 212 andwithin the channel 214 to form electromagnetic shields 218 over thecomponent areas 206 (FIG. 8K). The sections 211 of the first set ofconductive vias 184 (and other exposed sections of the metallicstructures 178) are directly attached to one of the electromagneticshields 218 so that the electromagnetic shields 218 are electricallyconnected to the metallic structures 178. The component portions 205 maythen be singulated from one another to form individual shieldedelectronic modules 220 (FIG. 8L).

Those skilled in the art will recognize improvements and modificationsto the embodiments of the present disclosure. All such improvements andmodifications are considered within the scope of the concepts disclosedherein and the claims that follow.

What is claimed is:
 1. A method of manufacturing a plurality ofelectronic modules, comprising: providing a substrate comprising asubstrate body having a plurality of component portions wherein each ofthe plurality of component portions includes a component area on asurface of the substrate body and a plurality of metallic structures,each of the plurality of metallic structures associated with one of theplurality of component portions; wherein each of the plurality ofmetallic structures have a first metallic layer that extends along aperiphery of the one of the plurality of component portions and a firstconductive vertical interconnect access structure (via) attached to thefirst metallic layer at the periphery of the one of the plurality ofcomponent portions; providing electronic components on the componentportions; providing an overmold over the surface of the substrate bodyto cover the component portions; forming channels along the periphery ofeach of the plurality of component portions, the channels being formedthrough at least the overmold, wherein the channels expose at least afirst section of the first conductive via in each of the plurality ofmetallic structures; and applying an electromagnetic shield materialover the overmold and in the channels to form electromagnetic shieldsover each of the component areas wherein the first section of the firstconductive via in each of the plurality of metallic structures aredirectly attached to one of the electromagnetic shields.
 2. The methodof claim 1, further comprising singulating the plurality of componentportions from the substrate body.
 3. The method of claim 1, whereinproviding the substrate comprises forming the plurality of componentportions so that the plurality of component portions are configured asan array of component portions.
 4. The method of claim 3, wherein thearray of component portions includes columns and rows of componentportions.
 5. The method of claim 1, wherein providing the substratecomprises: providing a first metal sheet; forming the first metalliclayer in each of the plurality of metallic structures from the firstmetal sheet; and providing a first insulating substrate layer of thesubstrate body on the first metallic layer of each of the plurality ofmetallic structures.
 6. The method of claim 5, wherein providing thesubstrate further comprises providing the first conductive via on thefirst metallic layer of each of the plurality of metallic structures. 7.The method of claim 5, wherein providing the substrate furthercomprises: providing a second metal sheet over or below the firstinsulating substrate layer; forming a second metallic layer in each ofthe plurality of metallic structures from the second metal sheet; andproviding a second insulating substrate layer of the substrate body onthe second metallic layer of each of the plurality of metallicstructures.
 8. The method of claim 7, wherein providing the substratefurther comprises: wherein forming the first metallic layer of each ofthe plurality of metallic structures from the first metal sheetcomprises forming the first metallic layer of each of the plurality ofmetallic structures so that each substantially surrounds an area of thefirst insulating substrate layer that forms a part of the associated oneof the plurality of component portions; forming a first plurality ofconductive vias on the first metallic layer of each of the plurality ofmetallic structures that substantially surround the area of the firstinsulating substrate layer that forms the part of the associated one ofthe plurality of component portions, wherein the first plurality ofconductive vias in each of the plurality of metallic structurescomprises the first conductive via; wherein forming the second metalliclayer of each of the plurality of metallic structures from the secondmetal sheet comprises forming the second metallic layer of each of theplurality of metallic structures so that each substantially surrounds anarea of the second insulating substrate layer that forms a part of theassociated one of the plurality of component portions; and forming asecond plurality of conductive vias on each second metallic layer ofeach of the plurality of metallic structures that substantially surroundthe area of the second insulating substrate layer that forms the part ofthe associated one of the plurality of component portions.
 9. The methodof claim 8, further comprising: wherein forming the channels along theperiphery of each of the plurality of component portions, furthercomprises, for each of the plurality of metallic structures, exposing atleast the first section of each of the first plurality of conductivevias which includes the first section of the first conductive via; andwherein applying the electromagnetic shield material over the overmoldand in the channels to form the electromagnetic shields over each of thecomponent areas comprises, for each of the plurality of metallicstructures, coupling the first section of the first conductive via toone of the electromagnetic shields.
 10. The method of claim 9, whereinproviding the substrate further comprises: providing a third metal sheeton the second insulating substrate layer, wherein the second insulatingsubstrate layer includes the surface of the substrate body; and forminga third metallic layer in each of the plurality of metallic structureson the surface of the substrate body so as to substantially surround thecomponent area.
 11. The method of claim 1, wherein each of the pluralityof metallic structures is separated from one another.
 12. The method ofclaim 1, wherein the plurality of metallic structures is integrated intoa meta-metallic structure.